I should probably preface this by saying that I came from riding a hardtail and was reluctant to go to a full suspension unless I really felt like the pedal-bounce issues had been dealt with. Rear shock technology has come a long way in the last few years and all the manufacturers seem to have addressed the issue. This bike come with Manitou Split rear shocks that only kick in when you need them. They are also adjustable (air pump included) so that you can get the ride you want. The unexpected benefit for me was the way I no longer had to horse the rear wheels over small obstacles. That play in the back made me feel like I was riding a goat over stumps and rocks and other obstacles.
Overall, I couldn't be happier with the ride of the bike. The only issues I have had were the fact that the cable rubbed against the frame on the ride home and left a small blemish (bummer) and on my second ride the damper adjusting bolt fell off the front fork. The bike shop got me a new one pretty quickly, but it don't think it should have fallen off in the first place. To be fair, I don't know if this is the fault of the factory or the bike shop, but either way, they were good about replacing it.
I would absolutely reccomend this bike to anyone interested. I had my heart set on a Specialized Stumpjumper but just didn't want to spend that much money. I found that this was priced better with very comparable features.
